United States Customs and Border Protection had a busy Independence Day weekend. They captured two criminals – one being a sex offender, the other a drug smuggler – attempting to illegally cross into the United States.
Agents in the El Centro Sector, located in Southern California, arrested a man illegally entering the U.S. roughly one mile east of the Calexico West Downtown Port of Entry late Thursday night. Once agents conducted an immigration and criminal history screening on the man, it was determined that the 35-year-old had been convicted of sexually abusing a child in Salt Lake City, Utah, back in 2005. He was sentenced to one year in prison for his conviction and was eventually deported from the United States.
The man is being held in federal custody pending further criminal prosecution.
Early Friday morning, Border Patrol agents from the Calexico Border Patrol Station arrested a man who had illegally crossed the United States-Mexico border. He was apprehended about 18 miles east of the Calexico West Downtown Port of Entry.
When agents conducted a search of the two backpacks the illegal alien had, seven cellophane-wrapped packages were discovered. Agents arrested the 18-year-old man and transported the packages back to the station for further processing. In total, the packages weighed 16.7 pounds and tested positive for methamphetamine. The drugs have an estimated street value of $31,730.
Both the illegal alien and the narcotics were handed over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further processing.
